Obama and Trump put past animosity aside during the 90-minute White House meeting designed to quell fears about the health of the world's pre-eminent democracy, and vowed to carry out a smooth transfer of power.

After a nasty campaign that culminated in the election of a 70-year-old billionaire and former reality TV star who has never held public office and who gained power on a populist platform, the message was: this is business as usual in a democracy.

Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!

The outgoing Democratic president and his successor huddled one-on-one in the Oval Office, for what Obama characterized as an "excellent conversation" and then put on a remarkably civil joint public appearance.

"It is important for all of us, regardless of party and regardless of political preferences, to now come together, work together, to deal with the many challenges that we face," Obama said.

Trump appeared more subdued than usual, and was unusually cautious and deferential in his remarks.

"Mr President, it was a great honor being with you," Trump said, calling Obama a "very good man."

Hollande and Trump agree to 'clarify' points of disagreement

French President Francois Hollande spoke to Donald Trump by telephone on FridayCredit:
STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/EPA

Francois Hollande, the president of France, has just finished a phone call with Donald Trump, French officials have said.

The two agreed to work to clarify positions on terrorism, Ukraine, Syria, and the Iran nuclear deal - all areas where Mr Trump's campaign rhetoric suggested he might dramatically change US policy.

Few details of the discussion have emerged, but he conversation may well have been a tense one.

Mr Hollande was one of the most outspoken foreign critics of Mr Trump, saying before the election that the republican candidate made him"want to retch."

Following Mr Trump's victory on Wednesday, Mr Hollande warned it heralded a “period of uncertainty” for Europe.

Ségolène Royal, the French environment minister, has warned Mr Trump against attempting to follow through on an election promise to withdraw from a historic agreement on climate policy reached in Paris in April.

Former head of MI6 warns Trump must 'keep his temper'

John Sawers, once Britain's top spy, warned Mr Trump's temper could be dangerousCredit:
Alastair Grant/AP Photo

Donald Trump's explosive temper could bring an already unstable world closer to the catastrophe of nuclear war, a former British intelligence chief has warned.

Sir John Sawers, who ran MI6 between 2009 and 2014, said the United States president-elect's "fierce" reactions when he perceives he has been insulted could have dangerous consequences unless he keeps a cooler head.

He said he feared a nuclear clash between the US and China or the US and Russia, which would cause "widespread devastation".

"We're getting back into a world which is quite dangerous, and I think that is the biggest threat," Sir John told BBC Radio 4's World At One.

"It's got worse over the last five or six years partly because, frankly, one of the failures of President Obama's administration is managing its relationships with Russia."

Mr Trump's biggest test will be forming good relationships with Russian president Vladimir Putin and particularly Chinese premier Xi Jinping, in order to deal with the potential North Korean nuclear threat.

The "worse case scenario" would be those relationships turning more confrontational, either through Moscow or Beijing misreading a situation or if the Trump administration "overreacts", he said.

"I don't think Donald Trump quite yet knows what the pressures will be on him when he becomes president," Sir John said.

"We've seen that when he feels slighted, when he feels criticised, he reacts quite fiercely.

"If you translate that into global affairs it could have consequences which are dangerous for everyone."

Muqtada al-Sadr slams Donald Trump for his comments on Islam

Some more reaction from figures around the world:

Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-SadrCredit:
Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters

Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shiite cleric who emerged as one of the most influential anti-US figures in the country after the 2003 invasion, slammed President-elect Donald Trump over his "escalating statements... against Islam and Muslims," and criticized him for not distinguishing between radical and moderate Muslims.

In written statement, the cleric responded to the outcome of the U.S. presidential election saying "Even if the president changed, the (U.S.'s) hostile policies against the world will not change."

He urged the American people "not to be affected by the radicalism of their president", warning that they would otherwise "suffer from the international isolation because of the reckless policies which is unacceptable to every mind and every religion."

Al-Sadr signed of his statement with "Peace be on the American people," as well as, "You have to know that Israel will remain our first enemy."

Conflicting emotions from the president-elect

Hello and welcome to Friday's live coverage as protests continue over the election of billionaire Donald Trump as US president...

We'll kick off with some tweets from the man himself, who appeared to regain control of his Twitter account overnight. It was a matter of hours before Mr Trump confounded fans and critics alike with his conflicting comments on the protests against his presidency...

Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud!